When conducting arthroscopy surgery, for example in removing cartilage from a knee joint or other joint of the body, surgeons often introduce fluid under pressure into the joint to expand the joint so that it may be worked on more easily and to provide a fluid flow for flushing debris from the joint. This is usually done by elevating a bottle of saline solution on a well-known, vertically adjustable intravenous infusion stand and connecting a fluid line to a catheter inserted into the joint. The flow from the joint can be through an additional catheter attached to a collection bag. Pressure of the fluid introduced to the joint can be increased or decreased by raising or lowering the saline reservoir on the vertically adjustable intravenous stand.
It would be desirable to have an apparatus which could be used to raise and lower the pressure of the fluid in the joint without having to go through the sometimes awkward procedure of raising and lowering the saline reservoir. It would also be desirable to have a pressure regulated system in which the irrigation fluid could be filtered, clarified, sterilized and recirculated through the irrigation site.